The roundtable, supported by Kaiser Permanente’s Institute for Health Policy and the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), included a diverse group of stakeholders—including state and federal officials, healthcare providers, payors, and employers – focused on addressing the behavioral health workforce challenge. Dr. Hoge, a clinical psychologist, is a nationally recognized expert on behavioral health workforce development. “As a strong proponent of both workforce development and behavioral healthcare, I am thrilled about the unveiling of How Right Now: Mental Health Resources the new Behavioral Health Workforce Center,” said State Representative Maurice West (D-Rockford).
By offering financial incentives, states are not only attracting new professionals to the field but also retaining experienced practitioners, improving access to behavioral health services for underserved populations. States are leveraging their loan repayment programs to attract the behavioral health workforce to health professional shortage areas. Loan repayment programs are a well-established strategy to develop and address workforce maldistributions that have been expanded to include behavioral health providers. Also, effective 2023, OHA mandated that CCOs maintain a minimum fee schedule for services that include residential SUD, applied behavioral health analysis, mobile crisis response, and mental health children wraparound services, ensuring that providers are reimbursed at or above Medicaid fee-for-service rates. Additionally, providers treating people with co-occurring disorders receive an additional payment increase based on the state fee schedule of 10 percent, up to 20 percent more for qualified mental health professionals, and 15 percent more for residential treatment services. The funding prioritized expanding state hospital capacity, enhancing children’s mental health and school safety, and increasing access to community-based services such as crisis intervention.
Collaboration and Partnerships for Effective Behavioral Health Workforce Development
These partnerships highlight the importance of developing and continuing upskilling of behavioral health professionals to address the growing need for a trained workforce. States are expanding academic partnerships to increase the supply of the behavioral health workforce, with a focus on strengthening related degree pathways. The program, part of the Healey-Driscoll administration’s Massachusetts (MA) Repay initiative, alleviates the financial burden of educational debt while ensuring that behavioral health professionals are available in underserved areas. In Georgia, the Behavioral Health Provider Student Loan Repayment Program provides loan repayment assistance to providers ranging from $10,000 to $150,000 dependent on provider type for full-time practice in a four-year term contract to provide behavioral health services to Medicaid recipients. Vermont established a mental health care rate increase to standardize Medicaid payments for children and adult mental health services as part of a shift toward a value-based payment approach.
Supporting Career Advancement and Professional Growth in Behavioral Health
- A healthcare provider might collaborate with a tech company to develop a digital platform for remote training, making education more accessible.
- As chair of the HCAI California Healthcare Workforce Education and Training Council, I have observed a pattern that clinical work experience remains a recurring barrier to growing the needed workforce.
- An illustration of this is a community center that partners with a network of therapists to offer culturally sensitive counseling at a reduced cost.
- Through strong legislative support, strategic partnerships with academic institutions and health systems, and formalized governance structures, BHECN has built a coordinated, data-informed approach to workforce development.
The authors cite Oregon’s “workforce stability grant” program to boost employee compensation, recruitment, and retention as a strong example for other states to consider. The initiatives recognize the expertise of individuals with lived experience and expand career opportunities in the field. Additionally, applied behavioral analysis services also received a 20 percent increase in the fee-for-service schedule, with MCOs required to pay no less than the updated rates, ensuring adequate reimbursement for these critical services.
For instance, a coalition of mental health advocacy groups, professional associations, and legislators might work together to secure funding for workforce development programs. A healthcare provider might collaborate with a tech company to develop a digital platform for remote training, making education more accessible. Over the years she has mentored and supported numerous students in pursuit of education, public health, healthcare and behavioral health fields. Panelists from leading universities shared real-world examples of how they are aligning academic programs with workforce realities, expanding access to continuing education, and partnering with employers to strengthen the behavioral health pipeline. Its hub and spoke model include delineated responsibilities between SIU SOM and UIC-targeted regional workforce development hubs to build career pipelines in tandem from high school through higher education, where they focus on infrastructure and data collection and training initiatives, respectively.
During Spring 2021, our team from the Cross-Harvard Future of Work Study Group collaborated with the Massachusetts Healthcare Collaborative to understand peer support certification and standardization of their career ladder in behavioral health. The discussion also focused on opportunities and challenges for state policymaking and public-private partnerships to invest in the behavioral health workforce and build evidence-informed, flexible approaches that leverage the unique contributions of both licensed and unlicensed workers. To capture this expertise, the National Academy for State Health Policy (NASHP) convened a multi-sector roundtable comprised of policymakers, payors, providers, employers, and individuals with lived experience to explore innovative solutions and identify actionable strategies for strengthening the behavioral health workforce.
In the ever-evolving landscape of healthcare, the critical role of behavioral health professionals cannot be overstated. The historical failure of behavioral health specialties to attract BIPOC students and workers limits leadership, access to quality care, and the generalizability of research findings. Although some organizations that utilize peer support workers have created opportunities for upskilling, the career field would benefit from creating a more formal career ladder for peer support workers to advance and earn higher wages.